With the advent of larger Plasma and LCD HDTV's becoming more reasonably priced, many more homeowners are not just sitting or hanging the new TV in the Family Room but are literally creating newly designed spaces that will serve to showcase the new TV and provide optimal viewing of HDTV and provide entertainment for the whole family and friends.
Most homes that are not new in the last 4 or 5 years had no real design provisions for the new wall mounted wide screen larger TV's that didn't involve hiring an electrician and a finish carpenter to prepare for them. Most homeowners who hadn't given much thought to preparing the new space in advance, realized that there was no power outlet at the right height and the cable was not nearby to make a clean connection with cords out of view.
Homebuilders and architects for new homes are factoring in this new functionality to make the connections accessible at locations with optimal viewing available.
For those that don't already have these connections, it requires a bit of engineering to get accomplished in the proper place. That being a real obstacle in some homes, there are numerous other obstacles that are coming to light that are also guiding new design and construction.
The old room where this takes place is often open to the rest of the house and the natural daylight makes viewing on all but the newest large screen TV's ,not optimal. So creating spaces with natural light blocked ( rooms with no windows are beginning to show up as media rooms) is becoming more common.
The furniture selection and placement is also changing from the typical sofa or sectional to individual lounge type seating making adjusting to viewing wall screens that are usually at eye level when standing. Because seating is becoming more individualized, there needs to be accommodations for usually at least 3 or 4 seats in the room. And if the new space becomes part of the entertaining style of a larger family with lots of friends, ever more are needed.
With DVD movies ( either purchasing or rentals ) becoming more popular and much more convenient with online rentals and downlaods, the home theater is fast becoming the natural replacement or at least a desired augmentation to going out to see a movie in a public theater. Typically going out to see a movie costs anywhere from about $8 per person up to $20 per person when refreshments are factored in. If a couple with 2 children go out an average of once per week, the entertainment costs are well over a couple thousand dollars a year. That's not to suggest that more people are rejecting going out to movie theaters as those numbers are actually increasing as well. Seems people want it both ways, but the entertainment costs to go out certainly factors in to justifying the need for better home provided entertainment for many. Others can justify it just because they can and fulfill their desire to be up to date and in style.
As with most change, it is usually gradual. In our fast paced world, that gradual change can be measured in a couple years where before it might have been over a decade. From the more elaborate room designs with projection TV's with large wall screens and elaborate surround sound systems to the more modest wide screen HDTV's and stereo sound, our individual preferences are all available and showing up in homes everywhere. Over the next few years, we will see how architects and home builders interpret these new preferences for our entertainment wants and needs in the new homes we will buy tomorrow.
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